No, Velanna
by Jannifer
Summary: In trying to rebuild the Ferelden Wardens, should a Warden Commander accept any and all volunteers, or should she pick and choose? One Warden Commander refuses to recruit a certain angry Dalish elf.


Celwyn turned to study the Dalish woman and planted her staff firmly with her left hand. The sun added warmth to the elven mage's pale skin and made her silvery blond hair gleam like satin. "No. I will not make you a Grey Warden." Turning back, she began to walk up the path ahead of her. She was slender and carried herself with grace and a certain sureness.

"What do you mean? I want to be a Grey Warden. Do you have so many you can afford to turn down a volunteer? Being a Warden will give me the ability to sense darkspawn. I'll be able to find my sister!" Velanna's strident voice tore through the air and made the muscles at the base of Celwyn's skull tighten in annoyance.

Celwyn turned back to regard the younger elf coolly. "Tell me, Velanna. Why are you no longer your Keeper's First?" Her dark eyes seemed to measure the Dalish mage, and she waited for Velanna's answer in perfect stillness.

"I...they kicked me out of my clan!" She raised her chin and glared briefly at the older mage before averting her eyes.

"Yes, you've said as much. And why did they kick you out?" Celwyn pressed.

"They said I was too angry. They said I didn't have any discipline. They said I didn't understand what it meant to be a Keeper. I know what a Keeper's supposed to do, and my magic is strong," Velanna sputtered to a stop, obviously still seething over the supposed slight to her abilities.

Anders moved to stand at Celwyn's left shoulder while Nathaniel slipped to one side. This was mage business, but the rogue positioned himself behind Velanna and slightly to her right. _If she raises her staff to cast, I will have a clear shot at that vulnerable spot under her arm._ He silently slid one of his daggers from its sheath, holding it closely to his thigh. The rogue would strike if necessary, piercing the elf's lung, nicking a couple of major arteries and puncturing her heart. _She'll be down and unable to cast in a matter of seconds._

Anders posed his own question to the enraged Dalish. "What are a Keeper's duties outside of magic?"

"Why are you questioning me? What do you know about it? You're a _shem_."

"Oh, you noticed. I'm impressed. Here I thought you were too busy glaring at me to see me properly." Ander's grin did nothing to endear him to the Dalish elf standing in front of Celwyn and now glaring at both of them.

"Velanna, Anders' question is perfectly reasonable. What are a Keeper's duties outside of magic?" Celwyn's quiet, measured tone contrasted sharply with Velanna's harsher voice. Celwyn's voice was gentler, deeper, more measured, more controlled. It was a precise instrument able to convey warmth, project strength, and stop the most unruly recruit in his tracks. Her voice could cut stone or melt hearts, soothe nightmares or bolster anyone's flagging courage.

"A Keeper is supposed to lead the clan," Velanna stated firmly.

"And how is a Keeper to lead?"

"She makes decisions about the clan's movements. When they move and where they go. How long they stay in one place," she shrugged as she spoke. "Any _da'len_ knows that." Her tone clearly indicated that she thought Anders's and Celwyn's questions had been silly. _Every Dalish knows what Keepers are supposed to do. Why are these _shem_ questioning me? Are they really trying to test me?_

Anders and Celwyn studied Velanna for a few moments. She held herself with her back straight and rigid, but her feet shifted and her hand clenched her staff so tightly that her knuckles shown white. She clearly believed no one should question her abilities, as she had never questioned them herself. _Velanna has probably given no thought to what her powers and position truly meant, ever, _so Anders posed the next question. "What else does a Keeper do?"

"What is your point?"

Celwyn interjected, "Isn't the Keeper responsible for recovering the ancient lore of your people and making sure that such information is not lost again?"

"In other words, aren't the Keeper's responsibilities more than just slinging spells and giving orders?" Anders continued to press Velanna, hoping she would be able to see where they were going with this line of questioning.

"I...I..." Velanna stuttered to a stop.

"Precisely," Celwynn nodded. "You pursued power, but you never bothered to learn what else your Keeper and your clan needed of you. You refused to accept all the responsibilities that came with being your Keeper's First. During the Blight, I went to the Dalish for help because they had signed an ancient treaty with the Wardens promising to provide aid during a Blight. I spoke with their Keeper's First, Lanaya, about the duties of a Dalish Keeper. Lanaya still leads her clan and acts as a diplomat between her people and the _shemlen_. She is well respected among her people and accepted by the humans they deal with."

"Every Circle mage learns that with power comes responsibility. Even the Apostates we've taken in at the Vigil understand this basic concept. You threw away your responsibilities," Anders added.

"But..."

"No, I will not take a woman who has abandoned her duty into the Wardens. I must have people I can depend on, people who understand what being a Warden demands. It is 'the duty that can not be forsworn.' Nor should a Warden's abilities be used for personal missions and private gain."

Anders' gentle voice added, "We are sorry about your sister, Velanna."

Velanna's shoulders slumped for only a moment, then she resumed her rigid posture. "If you won't help me, Warden, then I don't want your pity either."

The Wardens watch Velanna stomp off into the wilderness around them. Nathaniel returned the dagger he'd been holding to the sheath strapped to his baldric. When Anders was sure she was out of earshot, he quirked his lips and looked over at Celwyn slyly. "It's a shame we couldn't take her. Just think what she would have done for morale! She'd have been a veritable sunbeam in the darkness of the Vigil. A rose among thorns! A gem among pebbles..."

"And a pain in my ass," Celwyn sighed. "Let's go, Anders. Nathaniel." The three Wardens turned their steps toward home.


End file.
